Family farewell ceremonies were only done years later for the Space Shuttle astronauts. During the Apollo missions, the astronauts were actually allowed to be in contact with their families.

Ken Mattingly was actually sitting in Mission Control in Houston when Apollo 13 launched.

Frank Borman was the commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to circle the moon.

Jack Swigert was known as a ladies man. One paper headline read, “Bachelor Notices Gal-Axy.”

Swigert really did get a 60-day extension on his taxes.

Music Notes
“Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum, 1969.

“Honky Tonkin'” by Hank Williams, 1948.

Plot Note
There’s a reason Fred only calculated for two people. Swigert would never have left the command module. His job was to circle the moon and pick up Lovell and Haise after the moon walk.

Pop-Culture NotesTIME magazine ranks “Houston, we have a problem” as one of the top 10 movie catchphrases of all-time. It’s the only catchphrase on the list that’s a direct quote from a real person.

Mattingly is watching The Dick Cavett Show which aired opposite The Tonight Show.

AFI ranked Apollo 13 as one of the “100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time.”

Press Notes
Roger Ebert ranked Apollo 13 as one of the “Best Movies of 1995.”

TIME magazine: “From lift-off to splashdown, Apollo 13 gives one hell of a ride.”

Quotation Notes
Astronaut Jim Lovell: “When I was on Apollo 8, I named a little triangular mountain Mount Marilyn.” Mount Marilyn is not in the scientific registry, but it’s recognized by all the NASA astronauts.

Marilyn Lovell didn’t like that the flight number was 13.

Marilyn Lovell: “All along I had planned on not going to the launch…I was finding every excuse possible.”

Marilyn Lovell: “I decided I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing [Jim] again before the launch.”

Jim Lovell: “In actuality, Jack Swigert wrote all the malfunction procedures for the command module…He was, in truth, a very competent pilot.”

Marilyn Lovell really did lose her ring in the shower. It had never happened before. Marilyn Lovell: “To me, it felt like the worst omen of all.”

Kevin Bacon: “When I first put [the suit] on, it was the only real bout of claustrophobia I had.”

Director Ron Howard says he’s most proud of this launch sequence: “I think as a filmmaker, that might be the most cinematic thing I’ve ever done.”